Bra Making with Madalynne, my experience this Summer

Back in June, thanks to my cheerful sewing bud/student Mandy who is always up for anything, I attended one of Madalynne Intimates’ sewing workshops in funky ol’ Philadelphia, PA. As someone who teaches sewing to others, I really love having the chance to learn new techniques or gain more knowledge about an aspect of the garment sewing world that I love so dearly. Maddie’s class did not disappoint my endlessly curious heart!

Now, I’ve dabbled in a few different worlds since my time at Parsons: I specialized in childrenswear during my thesis year, I designed Halloween costumes and dress up clothing as my first job out of college (so. much. glitter. tulle.) I did special occasion for a moment and sat through a few lectures about the amazing technology that is 3D knitting as well as worked freelance design for a knitwear brand. But one thing that has always seemed foreign to me was the world of galloon lace, rose gold sliders and fold over elastic. Enter stage left: Maddie Flanigan, lingerie designer extraordinaire!

We spent a nice warm Saturday at Maddie’s cute little studio tucked away in some Northern part of Philly making her free pattern the Barrett Bra out of pre-cut materials that Maddie prepped for us as a part of the workshop. If you want to get a bra done start to finish in one day, it’s best to have everything ready for you to start sewing! We worked on Pfaff machines that sewed through soft elastics and delicate swiss dot mesh with ease. The best part of the Barrett Bralette pattern is that you can sew it all on a regular sewing machine that is capable of a zig-zag stitch!

We had a totally beautiful Instagram worthy lunch made by none-other than the Renaissance woman herself, Maddie! She believes any good sewing day with new friends is incomplete without cake, and I totally agree with her!

By the end of the day Maddie had filled my brain with tons of information about how to buy laces, the best grain to cut stretch mesh on, and lingerie hardware and elastics. We got sweet little goodie bags with bits of lace and elastic in them, and I also had a brand spankin’ new and damn cute soft bralette I had completed in one afternoon.

For those interested about the Barrett Bralette pattern: the pattern, a sew along and any other information you need can be found on Maddie’s website through this link. I also hope to woman-up and take a few photos for the blog because I LOVE my new bralette… I even purchased one of Maddie’s kits especially for the Barrett so I can make another ASAP (which is turning out to be months later, oh well)

Also, my big boob-a-licious ladies! Fear not- we had a few ample bosomed friends with us in the workshop who fit Maddie’s pattern just fine, despite fears that soft bralettes were not for them. It’s all about giving yourself enough support with the types of mesh fabrics you use and not being afraid to try something new!